1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a convertible vehicle roof and to a convertible vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
Gennan Patent DE 44 35 222 C1 discloses a vehicle roof having a front roof part and a rear roof part or rear element. The front roof part, which can be locked to the cowl via roof links which are articulated in a manner such that they can pivot, is articulated in a manner such that it can swing on the vehicle body by means of a pivot lever. The rear roof part adjoins the front roof part to the rear and sits in a sealing manner on a folding-top compartment flap which forms a transition to the trunk. The rear roof part is mounted in a manner such that it can be moved via a pivot lever which is mounted on the vehicle body, can be swung by means of a hydraulic cylinder and is coupled via a further hydraulic cylinder to the rear roof part at a rear articulation point of the roof part. The rear roof part is also mounted such that it can be moved by an additional hydraulic cylinder and a telescopic guide which is parallel thereto, the hydraulic cylinder and telescopic guide being fastened at one end to the pivot lever and engaged at the other end on a front articulation point on the rear roof part. The rear roof part is mounted movably in such a manner that it can be raised from the folding-top compartment flap and out of its closed position, by the lever and hydraulic cylinder devices being pivoted and actuated, and can be swung forwards over the front roof part. After the rear roof part has been locked to the front roof part and the roof link has been unlocked, actuation of the lever and hydraulic cylinder devices causes the front roof part to be swung as a unit to the rear together with the rear roof part into a stowage space and to be put away horizontally therein. The front roof part moves in accordance with the guidance provided by its pivot link and by the lever and hydraulic cylinder devices of the rear roof part. However, this horizontal storage of the front roof part and of the rear roof part requires a large stowage space which reaches right into the trunk and reduces the size of the latter.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle roof for a convertible vehicle, the roof comprising at least one front roof part and at least one rear roof part, the front roof part being supported by means of a pivot-bearing device which is mounted displaceably on a guide device, the guide device, in use, being fixed on a vehicle such that, during the opening and putting away of the front roof part, the pivot-bearing device moves along the guide device, and in the process, lowers the front roof part into a roof storage space of the vehicle.
In the preferred embodiment, the front roof part is brought by a swinging movement into a position from which the front roof part is lowered and inserted into the roof storage space by a displacing movement. In comparison with a swinging movement, the displacement of the front roof part into a comparatively narrow roof storage space can be designed as a sequence of movements which can be executed in a simple manner. The front roof part may comprise two or more elements which, in turn, can be moved relative to one another.
In a particularly preferred arrangement, the front roof part, when being lowered into the roof storage space, is arranged in an obliquely set or substantially vertical position. In the preferred embodiment, in the storage position, the front edge of the front roof part points upwards and the rear edge is arranged above the roof storage space or is already pivoted into the latter. The front roof part is therefore set upright with respect to the direction of travel, with the inside of the front roof part pointing forwards.
According to a preferred arrangement, the roof storage space extends downwards behind the seats. In the case of a two-seater cabriolet, the space behind the driver""s and front-passenger""s seat is therefore used as the roof storage space, said space running downwards and obliquely forwards from the opening on the top side in accordance with the inclination of the rear seat backs. This arrangement of the put-away vehicle roof is particularly saving of space in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and therefore the volume of the customary trunk is not restricted. Furthermore, the approximately vertical orientation of the put-away vehicle roof in the substantially vertical roof storage space means that a useful space which is optionally provided directly behind the seats remains accessible from above even when the vehicle roof has been put away. In the case of a vehicle having a second, rear seat row, the roof storage space can be arranged in a corresponding manner behind the rear seat row.
The pivot-bearing device supporting the front roof part may comprise a multibar mechanism, and in particular a four-bar mechanism, which is mounted displaceably on the guide device. A four-bar or other multi-bar mechanism enables a certain course of movement to be set for the swinging of the front roof part. Thus, for example, a rear edge of the front roof part can be lowered in a manner deviating from a circular path and, for example, can be moved in front of the roof rear part which has already been lowered into the roof storage space. A four-bar mechanism of this type is arranged on the right-hand side and on the left-hand side of the vehicle or vehicle roof. A seven-bar mechanism may be used.
In one preferred embodiment, the pivot-bearing device and the multi-bar mechanism is mounted on a slide which is mounted displaceably on the guide device. The slide forms a base which can be mounted in a play-free manner on the guide device and can be fixed on the guide device in any desired position in order to set intermediate positions of the front roof part during the opening or closing process.
The guide device may have a linear guide rail. On the other hand, a curved guide rail may be provided in which the slide can be moved and, by means of its change in inclination with regard to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, also confers on the front roof part a corresponding pivoting movement to accompany the introducing movement into the roof storage space. In one arrangement, the guide rail is arranged substantially parallel to an oblique position of a seat back. This results in a particularly economical storage of the front roof part in terms of space.
The rear roof part may be mounted in a manner such that it can pivot about a transverse axis which is fixed on the vehicle and runs in particular in the region of an upper section of the guide device or guide rail. The exact position of the transverse pivot axis is determined in particular by the space required for putting the rear roof part away into the roof storage space and by the size of the rear roof part. Even if pivoting about a transverse axis fixed on the vehicle body is preferred, which transverse axis can be provided by a simply constructed pivot bearing, the rear roof part may also be lowered into the roof storage space by means of linear and/or curved displacing movements which can be combined with a pivoting movement.
The course of movement for opening and for closing the vehicle roof and for putting the roof parts away into the roof storage space and for removing them from the roof storage space can be resolved in different ways. For example, pivot-bearing devices for the front roof part and the rear roof part may be arranged in such a manner that, in order to completely open the vehicle roof, first of all, the rear roof part is swung at least partially into the roof storage space and subsequently, or partly at the same time, the front roof part is swung in front of the rear roof part and is retracted downwards into the roof storage space.
By way of another example, pivot-bearing devices for the front roof part and the rear roof part may be arranged in such a manner that, when the vehicle roof is opened, first of all the front roof part and the rear roof part are swung substantially together in the direction of the roof storage space until the rear roof part has reached its storage position, and subsequently the front roof part is swung in front of the rear roof part and retracted downwards into the roof storage space. The joint movement can be carried out by the two roof parts being coupled together or by means of two drives, and can be implemented by an electronic control, in particular, of two driving motors.
One control or movement variant makes provision for it to be possible, when the front roof part is closed, for the rear roof part to be put away into the roof storage space. This enables a relatively large opening to be set for ventilating or aerating the vehicle interior.
A further control or movement variant makes provision for it to be possible, when the front roof part is in the roof storage space, for the rear roof part to be in its closed position.
The rear roof part may usefully be formed as a roll-over protective structure and can be extended into a roll-over protective position. In this case, the rear roof part takes over the supporting of the roof in the event of an emergency, and so the front roof part can be constructed with less exacting strength requirements. For this purpose, the rear roof part may comprise reinforcements and can be driven by an emergency-pivoting device.
Furthermore, in a preferred arrangement, the front roof part, which is preferably arranged in an oblique or vertical position in front of the rear roof part, or an additional part mounted thereon, can be moved into a windbreak position and can be fixed therein. This means that a separate windbreak is not required. The front roof part may have a front, transparent roof section so that it does not obstruct the view to the rear when in the windbreak position.
The at least one front roof part and the at least one rear roof part are preferably rigid roof elements, but the vehicle roof may also be fitted with at least one flexible element.
If, when the vehicle roof is closed, a flexible roof covering spans the front roof part and the rear roof part, which parts are formed as rigid roof elements, and the roof covering is fastened to a front section of the front roof part and rests loosely on a rear section of the front roof part, then seals between the roof parts can be omitted.
The front roof part preferably contains a rear, preferably central, region which is left open in the storage position of the front roof part. This open region may be formed as a recess in the front roof part. A moveable or removable part, which may be a folding or sliding part, exposes the recess when moved or removed.
The front roof part and the rear roof part can each be swung by means of their own drive. Drives having an electric motor, for example, can be exactly controlled in the desired sequence of movement by means of an electronic control. Furthermore, the front roof part can be moved along the guide device by means of its own drive.
On the other hand, the opening and the closing of the vehicle roof may take place at least partially by manual movement of the front roof part and/or of the rear roof part.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a convertible vehicle comprising a roof which has at least one front roof part and at least one rear roof part which are mounted movably on the body of the vehicle and which can be put away into a roof storage space of the vehicle, wherein the movable mounting of the front roof part and the roof storage space are arranged such that the front roof part lies in a substantially vertical orientation or at an oblique angle to the horizontal when put away in the roof storage space.
As discussed above, this arrangement saves space in the vehicle trunk which, in the prior art, was used to store one or both of the front and rear roof parts.
The movable mounting of the front roof part may be arranged such that the front roof part or an additional part mounted thereon can be extended into a windbreak position. In this embodiment, a separate windbreak, which would have to be carried, for example, as an additional part in the boot, is not required.
The front roof part is preferably supported by means of a pivot-bearing device which is mounted displaceably on a guide device fixed on the vehicle and which, during the opening and putting away of the front roof part, moves along the guide device. The front roof part can therefore be extended into the windbreak position and retracted again by means of a simple displacement.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a convertible vehicle roof, the vehicle roof comprising at least one front roof part and at least one rear roof part each for movable mounting on the body of a vehicle between a closed position and a roof storage position, the front roof part having an open portion along a rear edge at least when in the roof storage position.
The open portion permits the front roof part to be lowered to a good depth in the vehicle body, even if a vehicle body part on the floor, such as a propeller-shaft tunnel, would otherwise obstruct this lowering.
In an embodiment, the front and rear roof parts are each rigid, there being a flexible roof covering which covers the front roof part and the rear roof part. The roof covering means that the recess cannot be seen when the vehicle roof is closed.
A movable or removable part may be provided for filling the open portion of the front roof part when in the closed position. The movable or removable part may be a folding or sliding part. In an embodiment, when the front roof part is lowered, the vehicle body part on the floor presses the folding or sliding part out of its position and occupies the space of the open portion.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a convertible vehicle roof, the vehicle roof comprising at least one front roof part and at least one rear roof part each for movable mounting on the body of a vehicle between a closed position and a roof storage position, the front roof part and the rear roof part each being formed as rigid roof elements and form a hard top roof which is spanned by a flexible roof covering in the closed position.
By means of the roof covering, any gaps between the front and rear roof parts are covered in the closed position of the vehicle roof and are also sealed so that (further) seals are not required. Furthermore, a possible height offset is compensated for and wind noises reduced by virtue of the transitions between the individual roof parts being covered. The appearance of the rigid roof corresponds approximately to that of a folding roof having a flexible folding top.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a convertible vehicle roof, the vehicle roof comprising at least one front roof part and at least one rear roof part each for movable mounting on the body of a vehicle between a closed position and a roof storage position, the rear roof part being formed as a roll-over protective structure and being extendable from its roof storage position into a protective position by an emergency-pivoting device.
The rear roof part of this aspect can replace a fixedly installed roll bar. On the basis of a triggering signal, for example, from an inclination sensor, the lowered rear roof part can be extended by means of the emergency-pivoting device into its protective position within a period of, for example, 300 ms. In the extended position, the rear roof part may be fixedly supported against folding inwards, for example, by means of a latching device.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings.